Stop the Net power grab: UN danger to free internet

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Sophia
Number 741
Conspirator for: 13 years 25 weeks
Posted on: November 17, 2012 - 4:27am

received this email yesterday about eminent clamp down on internet freedom & so thought anybody who care about freedom of expression & free speech should be aware

 

Please sign the petition< & send it onto anybody else who might be concerned with internet freedom

 

 

Dear Sophia Christina ,

Next month in Dubai, UN agency the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is voting on new rules, including some nasty surprises which could clamp down on the fundamental freedoms of citizens online.

Please join the international campaign to stop this Net grab

Big telecoms corporations have joined with countries including China, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, that already impose heavy restrictions on internet freedoms, to put forward proposals to new treaty at the UN World Conference on International Telecommunications.

The proposals have largely flown under the radar, thanks to the secretive nature of the ITU, but their implications are very serious. They would give governments and companies the ability to:

  • Restrict access to the internet to government approved uses
  • Monitor everything you do online
  • Change the way we pay for the internet, potentially marginalising civil society and developing countries

An internet totally controlled by government and big business contradicts the very essence of what the internet represents – open and free access for all. The new rules would affect us all, but would hurt people in poorer countries and those living in dictatorships even more.

Please add your name to the global petition we're running in conjunction with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and ask our government representatives at this conference to reject changes that will restrict internet freedoms.

Act now, before it’s too late.  We need a new process where the voice of the people is properly heard. We'll work with the ITUC to pass your concerns on to government representatives going to the conference.

Add your name to the global petition now